Ore-concentrator.



H. E. WOOD.

ORE CONCENTRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1913.

- Patented Feb.'24,-191 4.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' exact description.

unrrnn STATES; PATENT. ormoia.

HENRY ELLSWORTH wool), or D NVER-[comman ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat ted 24, 19 4 Application filed May 13,1913. serial in. 767,307. 1

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. Woon, a'

citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Ore-Concentrators, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and

In processes of and apparatus for the concentration of metalliferous ores in use previous to the invention upon which the present application for Letters Patent is based, the surface film tension of liquids had been taken advantage of under widely varying conditions, for effecting the selective separation of the values fromthe gangue, the operation being generally conducted in such manner that the metal particles were floated off on the surface film of a body of Water into a suitable collecting -receptacle, while.

the sand, crushed rock and earthy particles,

. penetratingv this film, sank beneath the sur' ,way into a launder or collecting tank by they maybe readily recovered, and to this face of the water, and were allowed to settle therein. L

In lieu of carrying the values over a spillflotation, it has been proposed to lift the sur face film with its superincumbent particles from the settling tank by means of a traveling belt and to remove the particles from the belt at a point in their course where'they will be deposited in a receptacle from which class of apparatus my present invention relates. y .l

The primary objects of my improvement are to eifect thedistribution of the finely divided material over the surface of the body of water in, such manner that a larger proportion of the values will be sustained upon the surface film, and a better separa- I tion of the values from the gangue will reillustrate the invention in its preferred .rfovm Figure 1 is a vertical central section ports, Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1 with the'water, is mounted 'a drumaorroller G adapted to be rotated by a sprocket chain than an eighth of an'inch deep,,and running .of floating particles. The roller I is mount-- of the complete apparatus. grammatic illustration on an enlarged scaleof the traveling take-off belt and its supa portion of the side of the. settling tank removed, Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the takeoff belt and supports, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the distributer drum or roller. v r In these, drawings A designates a settling tank of any suitable construction, tapering toward the bottom where it is provided with a controllable outlet 13' and provided with any suitable means for maintaining the water at the proper level without disturbing to aninjurious extent the surface film.

1 At one end of the tank A, in-suitable bear ings extending down below thesurface, of

D from a driving shaft Efwhich latter represents any source of power available for the purpose. The drum C may be'hollow or it may be a solid roll, and its surface is covered with a sheet of corrugated rubber F,

the corrugations'being substantially triangular in section, preferably slightly less in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum. The said drum orroller C is partially submerged in the water with which the tank is kept filled'to .a predetermined level, and the material or ore to be concen-' trated is deposited 'upon its exposed surfaceby a plate. G vibrated by a rodg, connected.

to aneccentric h, which is rotated by .a belt 70 from a pulley Z on the main shaft E. The

dry material falls from an adjustable opening .ina receptacle .or hopper-H, supported 9 above the apparatus, upon the vibrating plate G. Theidetails of this feed mechanism are not illustrated, except conventionally, as it is merely typical of any suitable device for the purpose. At' or near-the Gppos'ite end of the tank A a roller I is partially sub merged, and constitutes one of the supports for an endless take-01f. belt K, designed to skim or lift oif the surface film with its load ed in a frame L, having pivotal bearings on a shaft'M and providedwith' lugs N carry- Ling set 's'crews O, bearing'on the edges of the tank and by means of which the frame will be adjusted to the properfangle.

is a dia- .cent to tank A is a second tank Pfin which a larger roller R, mounted frame L, is, l

partially submerged. ,The belt is prefer der proper tension and such other purposes (Ionics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

as will be recognized as convenient or necably composed of 16 oz. canvas duck, and essary by thos'e'familiar with the use of such in order that it may be free to travel while apparatus. the two rollers are properly submerged, it What I claim as my invention is: 5 is carriedpver an-idler S mounted on the i 1. -In an ore concentrator of the kind deshaft M between the two rollers. scribed, the combination with asettling tank,

On the shaft of roller R is a sprocket T, of a rotating drum or roller submerged to which is driven by a'chain D-from the shaft near its top and having a longitudinally of the roller-C. Sprockets and chains'are corrugated surface, the corrugations being 'lo'employed for driving the several rollers in of suchform as to carry a continuous surorder to' insure the proper relative moveface film and means for depositing in a ments of the same necessary'for the best opfinely comminuted state upon the exposed eration of the apparatus. portion of thedrum, the ore to be concenlVhen the device is inoperation the ore, trated.

15 in a dry comminuted state, is fed upon the i 2. In an ore concentrator of the kind detop of the drum C, which is submerged to scribed, the combination of a settling tank, Within one or twoinches of its top. Under of a drum or roller submerged to near its top these conditions the corrugations take up and having a longitudinally corrugated ruband carry over an amount of water sufficient ber surface, the corrugations being of such 20 to afford a continuous surface film through form as to carry a continuous surface film, which the sand and gangue pass into the and means for depositing in a finely comcorrugations, but upon which the values minuted-state upon the exposed portion of float. These latter proceed with a gentle thedrum, the ore to be concentrated. movement toward the take-01f ,belt, and by 3. In an ore -concentrator of the kind de- 25 the latter they,-together with the surface film scribed, the combination with a settling upon which they are suspended, are taken up, tank and means for depositing upon the surand carried over to the second tank I. To face of the water therein a finely comaccomplish this properly, the angle of the minuted metalliferous ore, of an endless wall formed by the belt to the point of intertraveling take ofi' belt, having a surface 20 section of the film therewith, must actuate capable of retaining a water film, means for or less than degrees. The roller H supporting the, belt so that its surface should therefore be less than one-half subemerges from the water at an angle less 90 .merged, and the same is true of the roller than 90 degrees with the surface film thcre- R, as the Water film in unwinding from the of, and means for removing from said belt 35 belt follows the reverse of the same principlethe water film with the supcrincumbent parby which it is lifted off from the body of ticles'carried thereon. water by the belt. If the water in the tank 4. In an ore concentrator of the kind de- P is maintained at the proper level, no spray scribed, the combination of a settlin tank, or other means for cleaning the belt will be means for depositing upon the surface of 40 found necessary. the water therein a finely comminated It is desirable that the surface film with metalliferous ore, a second tank adjacent to its load of metal particles as it unwinds from the first, a traveling flexible endless belt, the belt K, be floated off into a launder over having a surface capable of retaining a a lip or spillway \V at the edge of tank P, water film, and means for supporting the 45 as a small amount of middlings will collect belt so that its surface emerges from the in the tankP beneath the surface of the water in the first named tank at an angle water and may be periodically drawn oft less than 90 degrees to the surface film thereand added to the tailings in the main tank, of, at a point where the floating particles for wet concentration. In practical use, vaare directed against the belt, and enters the 50 rious other accessories commonly employed water in the second tank at a corresponding with apparatus of this general character angle, as and for the purpose set forth. will be found, desirable, but as these are In testimony whereof I affix my signature well known to those skilled in the art they in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. are not illustrated in detail. Among such' HENRY ELLSVORTH VOOD 55. devices may be mentioned means for maintaining the water level in both tanks; for Witnesses: maintaining the belt in a flat condition un- E. SEGERSTROM,

A. M. CAMPBELL. 

